outdoor stories

Your first indication that all is not well is the power is off when you awake. Befuddled, you check your phone but there are no new messages. Shortly you realize that is because there is no internet connection. The world is at war and they forgot to tell you... again!

Are you ready for this? If you are, you are probably a "prepper", one of those kooks who has his ducks in a pile for a scenario such as this, a rare animal to be sure. For the rest of us, it is an unsettling possibility and no more. We go about our daily routines as if nothing will ever change. And yet, many of us wonder about a different sort of life than the one we live. A life perhaps of living in greater tune with nature.

I draw on the experience of a close friend who lived this dream for seven years along the yukon river near Fort Selkirk. He told me that you work almost constantly to survive and sooner or later you run out of something that requires cash and need to go to town for that oh and maybe a job. Just a small glimpse of what living the dream looked like for him. They picked wild rosehips and made jam. They grew a large field of potatoes. They caught salmon in the river in the fall and dried them. They had a dog team and shot and ate moose and i rightly assume, other creatures as well, which brings me to the point of this article.

I know the subject of hunting is distressing for many these days. The thought of someone killing Cecil the Lion and hanging him on their office wall is not appealing to those who love the beauty of nature. Yet hunting for the purpose of survival outside the bounds of city life, is surely another matter entirely, is it not? A moose or a bear can provide a lot of valuable protein which is vital, especially in a climate as harsh as that found north of 60 in November through May.

And there is this to consider; If you prefer to keep your own hands free from gore, there is always the local butcher shop or market. But have you considered the living conditions of the typical factory-raised chicken vs the one i cook and eat? Wildlife gets to live its life relatively free of mans interference until the time comes for its consumption, and whether a wolf performs that task or a man is of little consequence to the animal! If the wild thing craves a certain plant or a drink from a certain stream it is free to go there. Most factory farm animals, in contrast, have little choice in the matter. So there is that contrast to consider.

Also, what about the fact that the genetics of wildlife have not been tampered with too much as of yet? Nor are they given growth hormones, or injected with chemicals. For those concerned with such things, consuming more wildlife may offer an improvement in diet.

And this: The fewer wild resources are consumed the more wildlands will be turned either into mining grounds or agricultural lands and the reason for that is your decision to buy your food in the store vs making use of what is freely provided in nature. Buying groceries in the store? How ecologically irresponsible can you get?